The NCAA's recent vote to grant the power five conferences autonomy was a move expected by many after the group of 65 schools spent years figuring out how to maximize their authority.

But as the five conferences — ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, Pac-12 — lay out their exact plans before the NCAA convention in January 2015, the remaining conferences, like Conference USA, are left to wait in the balance.

Whatever rules the power five elect to abide by, leagues on the outside looking in will have the right to adopt the same guidelines.

Thus, a big brother-little brother game has started.

Despite the separation, Louisiana Tech athletic director Tommy McClelland, who met with the media Tuesday for a luncheon, wants to be a part of the solution rather than the problem.

"I think hopefully reason and common sense and a holistic view of cause and effect," McClelland said when asked about moving forward with autonomy. "We may want this but this might have an adverse effect. I hope that's part of the discussion and knowing that Conference USA at least continues to have a voice at the table helps me know that that theme is going to be heard."

The problem that exists isn't anything new, it just seems to be getting louder.

"There's always been that difference (between the power five and mid-majors)," McClelland said. "It hasn't stopped Louisiana Tech from being competitive against them at times. And it hasn't stopped other people and other mid-major leagues from being competitive.

"I think it's going to continue to create separation, but it's not anything new. That theme or that tone had existed. The theme of tolerance has been one for a long time."

If comments from Conference USA commissioner Britton Banowsky at C-USA Media Day last month were any indication of the future, then the conference is determined to play by the same rules as the big boys, or at least regarding the most talked about issue — full cost of attendance.

"We know that full cost of attendance is going to be the No. 1 agenda and the No. 1 issue brought up with autonomy," McClelland said. "Conference USA has already publicly said through its presidents and board of directors that we would do full cost of attendance. We already know it's something we will commit to."

Full cost of attendance, which would account for the difference between a scholarship and what a student-athlete actually spends, could be about $2,200 per student, according to McClelland.

There are variables that go into that figure like a federal Pell Grant and whether the cost of attendance would be added on to the grant or if a student-athlete wouldn't be eligible for it.

The other looming question is how so-called mid-major programs like Tech could compete with the power conferences since the revenue streams are obviously much higher at a school like Alabama or LSU.

"Well we don't have the same amount of revenue coming in from TV or other Conference USA schools," McClelland said. "There will be some things we can't do and as a league we'll need to decide what to do."

Other potential changes to the college landscape could include guaranteed four-year scholarships or contact between student-athletes and agents. McClelland stressed scholarship limits and transfer rules won't change, two things that are important for competitive balance.

Ultimately, McClelland said taking care of the needs of student-athletes is key.

"If you neglect that, that's where this thing has come up when it looks as if all this money is being made and the perception on the outside is that the student-athletes aren't being taken care of," he said. "You need to make sure you're adjusting the optics of the situation and making sure the optics are looking better on the outside."